The first pitch from the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati is scheduled for 7:10 PM ET. Jake Woodford is slated to pitch for the Cardinals against Luis Castillo, who will throw for the Reds.
Cincinnati is a heavy favorite on the moneyline ay -188. St. Louis is +158 to win, and the over/under has been set at 9.5 runs.
St. Louis Cardinals Preview
The Cardinals have not been playing well lately. Even when the team wins, they do not look good. St. Louis has prevailed in three of their past five. This included taking three of four games from the Chicago Cubs this week.
The Cardinals are led by Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. These two have been sensational for the club, yielding big hits in high-pressure situations. The issue is that neither player has been the best version of themselves, and the team is not talented.
St. Louis needs some talent in the offseason to be reputable in the coming seasons. Woodford will throw for the team. He has only pitched 31 frames, but he is 2-1 with a 4.06 ERA. This is not terrible, considering some of the pitchers for the team.
Cincinnati Reds Preview
The Reds are led by Nick Castellanos, but the All-Star is not in the lineup. He has been added to the ten-day injured list because of a wrist injury. He will likely miss much more than ten days because the fracture is worse than expected.
Castellanos was slashing .329/.383/.582 with 18 HR and 59 RBI, so this was a considerable loss. Nevertheless, they were still able to beat the Cubs without the All-Star outfielder. Jesse Winker is the team’s leader at the dish without Castellanos.
Winker is batting .291 with 19 HR and 52 RBI, and he is coming off his first All-Star appearance. Other notable injuries and absences are Michael Lorenzen, Nick Senzel, and Amir Garrett.
The Matchup
Without Castellanos, the two offenses in this game are equally matched. The Reds still have a slight advantage, but the Cardinals can hang with Cincinnati. The pitching matchup is going to be critical to pick a winner.
Woodford has been good, but he does not have the experience that Castillo has in 2021. Castillo is 3-10, but his ERA is comparable to Woodford over 108.2 innings. The pitcher also has elite strikeout ability when he is on his game.
In his last start against the Cardinals on June 4, he went six innings and only allowed one run on three hits. If the wing has this success, the Reds will win this game by a narrow margin. Betting the Reds on the moneyline has no value, but the run line is a promising bet.
I am locking up the Reds at -1.5 (-110) on Saturday night.